Gunther Botha
Gunther Botha is South African scientist who specialises in race-targeting diseases. History Early History During the 1980's, Dr. Botha was in the South African Defence Force's Medical Battalion, and was also a member of Die Organisasie for many years during the apartheid regime, and worked with the South African Reconnaissance Commandos on occasion, including Cedric Wexley. His primary objective for many years was to develop a virus that would either kill black Africans or sterilise them. When the apartheid regime fell in 1994, Botha's work was shut down, and he was among those in the line of fire of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Fortunately for him, Botha's superior knowledge of race-targeting diseases was seen by the Americans as a positive for their work in creating a cure for the Sinovirus, and in 1996, he was secretly recruited for their program at Area 7. However, Botha still had contacts with members of Die Organisasie, and told them about the boy Kevin and how the Sinovirus could be converted to do what his failed work could not, and organised a plan to extract the boy, the latest virus strain, and the cure with help from the Reccondos. After a sample of the latest strain of the Sinovirus was obtained from Changchun by the 7th Squadron troopers, Botha tested his cure against it, using the prisoners Seth Grimshaw and Goliath as test subjects, and was pleased to find that his vaccine was successful. Area 7 On the day that Botha's plan to kidnap Kevin and the Sinovirus was set, the President of the United States arrived at Area 7 for a tour of the facility. Jerome Harper introduced Botha to him, but, having seen Botha's file earlier, the President was unimpressed with the scientist. Botha eagerly showed off both the effects of the virus, demonstrating on the non-inoculated prisoner Leon Roy Hailey, and then his vaccine, on Lucifer Leary. After the demonstration was over, a coup led by Ceasar Russell against the President began, and Botha managed to secure himself away during the beginning of the battle. With Area 7 under lockdown, Botha saw further opportunity to escape unnoticed, and during a lull in the fight, opened up one of the entrances, switched off the base's cameras, and kidnapped Kevin and stole the virus. Once the Reccondos arrived and executed the 7th Squadron's Delta Unit on Level Six, Botha and the Reccondos escaped using the X-Rail train to reach Lake Powell. However, a group of Marines guarding the President discovered Botha's plan, and prepared to go after him, but another encounter with the 7th Squadron scattered their team, and so only Schofield, Brainiac, Book II and Dr. Franklin were able to pursue on the X-Rail. As Botha and the Reccondos fled through the flooded canyons, Schofield and his men followed, eventually coming under fire from the 7th Squadron. While the Reccondos held them off, Botha took Kevin to a part of the lake where he planned to dive and lead the boy through to a farmhouse they would hide out in until the search for them died down. Schofield arrived in a Super Stallion, and ordered Botha to surrender, however Botha ignored the Marine and continued to prepare to dive. However another chopper, manned by 7th Squadron troopers, arrived and blew up Botha's side of the hydrofoil, killing the scientist while Kevin was left alive. Around the time of his escape from Area 7, David Fairfax decrypted Botha's communications with the Reccondos, but Botha had already been dealt with by the time he managed to get in touch with Schofield. Trivia . Category:African Characters Category:Antagonists Category:Area 7 Category:Scarecrow Characters Category:Deceased Characters Category:Characters